2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kanyo
A Hungarian surname believed to be derived from a place name or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Kanyo. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kanyo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Kanyo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kanyo
The surname KANYO has its origins in Hungary, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Hungarian word "kanyar," which means "curve" or "bend," likely referring to a geographic feature or location associated with the family's ancestral roots.
One of the earliest known records of the KANYO surname can be found in the Liber Regius, a medieval manuscript from the late 13th century, which documented land ownership and taxation in the Kingdom of Hungary. This suggests that the KANYO family may have held a prominent position or owned property during that time period.
In the 15th century, a nobleman named Péter KANYO was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Eger, located in northern Hungary. He was noted for his involvement in local politics and his role as a landowner in the region.
During the 16th century, a renowned scholar and philosopher named János KANYO (1498-1566) gained recognition for his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the Renaissance era. He was born in the town of Kanizsa and later became a professor at the University of Wittenberg, where he taught and wrote extensively on subjects such as theology and logic.
Another notable figure with the KANYO surname was Mihály KANYO (1637-1707), a Hungarian military officer who fought against the Ottoman Empire during the Great Turkish War. He was recognized for his bravery and strategic leadership in several battles, including the Siege of Buda in 1686.
In the 18th century, a village called Kanyó existed in the region of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, located in northeastern Hungary. This place name, which shares a similar spelling and likely origins with the KANYO surname, further reinforces the family's historical ties to that area.
Another individual of note was the poet and writer István KANYO (1786-1856), who was born in the town of Szarvas. His works, which explored themes of nature and rural life, were widely acclaimed during the Romantic era in Hungarian literature.
Over the centuries, the KANYO surname has maintained a presence in various regions of Hungary, with some variations in spelling, such as Kanyó or Kányo. While not a particularly common surname, it has persisted as a part of Hungary's rich cultural and historical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanyo
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Kanyo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kanyo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 109
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kanyo
Kanyo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,384 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kanyo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kanyo bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Kanyo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kanyo?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Kanyo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Kanyo?
Kanyo ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Kanyo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kanyo.
Has Kanyo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kanyo went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Kanyo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kanyo, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kanyo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kanyo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kanyo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kanyo mean?
A Hungarian surname believed to be derived from a place name or region. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kanyo (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Kanyo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.